Although these recipes all call for butternut squash or pumpkin, feel free to substitute any flavorful, orange-fleshed winter squash. We particularly like the Kabocha and Buttercup varieties for their sweetness.

To be honest, zucchini hasn't always been our favorite vegetable. It used to sit in our vegetable crisper, slowly getting spongy, while we worked our way through the other contents of our CSA box. But one day, this bright, flavorful salad totally turned us around on the summer squash. And now we can't get enough of it--we pickle zucchini and throw it into grain salads, soak strips of zucchini in garlicky olive oil and grill them until crisp and slightly charred, and freeze bags of grated zucchini to use in Jessica Seinfeld-approved quick breads all year long. If you're still wary, here are some recipes that just might make you a believer too:

The growing season has begun, which means that CSA members throughout the country are getting shares packed with early crops, like lettuce, radishes, and baby spinach. If you're like many of us, you might feel somewhat ambivalent about the bounty of Boston, romaine, and red-leaf heads making their way into your box this month. On the one hand, it's such a treat to have fresh-from-the-farm salad greens on hand to toss with olive oil and lemon juice at a moment's notice. On the other hand...lettuce is so annoying to wash. The only way to make sure none of it goes to waste? Surrender to the lettuce: make peace with the fact that you'll need to dedicate half an hour each week to your salad spinner. With leaves washed, dried, and bagged in the fridge, salads become the effortless summer meals they were meant to be.

Yes, this week is all about pie, but this autumnal dessert from Sarah Jordan, who makes desserts at Chicago's popular GT Fish & Oyster, demands a little attention, too. Jordan coats apples in a caramel that's flavored with sour beer, a style known for its tart, fruity character. Get the recipe here.

Pumpkins have a bit of a typecasting problem. Though they loom large in America’s cultural consciousness each fall, their starring turns are limited to appearances as jack o’ lanterns on Halloween and in pumpkin pies on Thanksgiving. But pumpkins have so much more to offer: sliced and roasted, they’re a sweet foil for rich, savory dishes such as the Afghani dish kaddo bourani, which pairs caramelized pumpkin with spicy ground beef. When baked and mashed, pumpkin purée can be thrown into quick breads, pancakes, and desserts that in no way resemble pie, like the chocolate cake featured below. How to Choose and Store: Small pie or sugar pumpkins are best for cooking. One five-pound pumpkin will yield about 4 ½ cups of purée. Uncut, uncured pumpkins will keep for a couple of months in a cool, dry place. Cooked pumpkin will last about five days in the refrigerator or up to six months in the freezer. How to Cook: